FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) Short Interest Update

FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE:FDS) saw a large decline in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,090,000 shares, a decline of 7.1% from the October 31st total of 2,250,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 281,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.4 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on FDS shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $471.00 to $521.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set an “inline” rating and a $470.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of FactSet Research Systems from $435.00 to $503.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $503.00 target price on shares of FactSet Research Systems in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on FactSet Research Systems from $451.00 to $469.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $450.00.

Insider Transactions at FactSet Research Systems

In other news, CEO Frederick Philip Snow sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.09, for a total value of $1,365,270.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 12,987 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,910,253.83. The trade was a 18.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider John Costigan sold 1,622 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $481.00, for a total transaction of $780,182.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 299 shares in the company, valued at $143,819. This trade represents a 84.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 23,984 shares of company stock worth $10,981,107 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FactSet Research Systems

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 948 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Andina Capital Management LLC grew its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 3.8% in the third quarter. Andina Capital Management LLC now owns 715 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $329,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Argent Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of FactSet Research Systems by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 1,312 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $536,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in FactSet Research Systems by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 834 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $341,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its position in FactSet Research Systems by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 736 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $300,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.24% of the company’s stock.

FactSet Research Systems Stock Performance

FDS stock traded down $3.72 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $485.75. The company had a trading volume of 208,001 shares, compared to its average volume of 261,536. The company has a market cap of $18.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.76. FactSet Research Systems has a twelve month low of $391.84 and a twelve month high of $499.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $469.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $437.67.

FactSet Research Systems (NYSE:FDS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 19th. The business services provider reported $3.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.62 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $562.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $547.06 million. FactSet Research Systems had a return on equity of 34.77% and a net margin of 24.38%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.93 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that FactSet Research Systems will post 17.2 earnings per share for the current year.

FactSet Research Systems Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. FactSet Research Systems’s payout ratio is currently 29.93%.

About FactSet Research Systems

FactSet Research Systems Inc, a financial data company, provides integrated financial information and analytical applications to the investment community in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company delivers insight and information through the workflow solutions of research, analytics and trading, content and technology solutions, and wealth.